Not being a fan of westerns or John Wayne movies, I have not seen the original True Grit. However, I do not regret missing the original after watching the Coen Brothers rendition of this tale of justice and revenge. Here is a story that belongs not only to a female lead, but a 14-year old girl. Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), after her father's murder, shows up to collect her father's personal effects, ensure that his remains are transported back to her home in Yell County, and to seek justice. She confers with the local sheriff, and as she suspected, little is being done to find and prosecute Tom Chaney, her father's assailant. Mattie, much smarter than she should be for her 14 years, quickly changes gears and inquires about who she could hire to help her find Chaney.

The search leads her to Rooster Cogburn, played by Jeff Bridges, whose portrayal of this dusty, haggard character earned him yet another Best Actor nomination at the Oscars this year. While she works to convince Cogburn to work on her behalf, Mattie is visited by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) who has been hunting Chaney for quite some time.

While Bridges and Damon both give amazing performances, the real star of the show is Hailee Steinfeld who also earned an Oscar nomination. This girl had easily twice as much dialogue and far less than half the experience of any of the other actors in this film, yet she went toe-to-toe with these giants and nearly left them all in the dust. Mattie's bargaining scenes with Col. Stonehill (Dakin Matthews) solidify her character as intelligent, quick and fearless.

As the three eventually set out to track Chaney, the repartee between Cogburn and LaBoeuf keep the sleepy scenes robust. And as Mattie quietly rides in the background, observing and sizing up the situation and players, our appreciation of her unexpected maturity deepens. As the plot unfolds and climax is reached, we realize that it is Mattie, all along, who possesses true grit.

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